E46 M3 Rough Mainenance Costs for my Calcs

[spandexx]

In August I am opting out of my Company Car Scheme and want treat myself to something nice with the extra cash.

I have had the M3 itch for a while and the E46 is an amazing car. I want to see if I can realistically afford it and need your help. After looking at the figures it looks like an M3 will not cost me much more than my company A3!

I will be looking to get an 02/03 E46 coupe with 60k in August / September and will be putting 12,000 miles on it a year.

What sort of rough tires and servicing costs am I likely to incur each year? I have tried searching for this answer but no hard figures have been forthcoming.

I know this seems a bit premature but if anyone has such a car they are planning on selling in August / Sept / Oct then please PM me and we can have a chat – I am in Macclesfield but I am willing to travel across the UK for the right car.

Thanks,

Mark

[JKay]

Hi There

Running costs:-

-Tyres - You'd prob get about 10-12k out of Falkens(of course this varies between drivers), thats daily commuting, + 3-4 trackdays out of them, if you get Falkens they are roughly £450 a set + fitting, wheras you can pay up to £850 for Michelins / Pirellis,

-Clutch - if you need to replace the clutch its approx £850.

-Servicing Inspection 1 Costs from £350-650, Inspection 2 is the killer from £750+ to over £1000 depending on where you go

Its mainly servicing and tyres. I'd just say put aside £800 a year for tyres, and around £800 for servicing (max) as well, and if nothing goes wrong, then thats all you should have to fork out, on top of fuel and insurance and tax of course. If you go for Falkens, then it could only be £450 plus £350 for an Inspection 1 (or less if its only an oil change) for that year depending on mileage and which service is due. If you do 12k or less a year then this should be a safe estimation IMO

Also a few things to Note:-

-Rear Springs tend to snap
-Make sure the car was serviced and stamped at 1500 miles or else warranty void
-Pads and discs not cheap from a dealer
-Check all recalls been done - though BMW will still do these even if not still fully serviced.
-Diff is noisy on just about every car, especially if you are a bit sharp going into reverse/first when manoeurvreing.
-Traction control light may come on for time to time, this is just one of the wheel sensors playing up.

Its a great car to drive and will give you miles of fun. Best of luck

JKay

Edited by JKay on Saturday 5th January 10:55

Edited by JKay on Saturday 5th January 10:59

Edited by JKay on Saturday 5th January 11:00

[petrolhead76]

Running in service is at 1200 miles.

Rear bushes tend to go every 60k miles depending on how you drive - £150 tops at a specialist.

Inspection 2 + brake fluid change - I just paid £440 from a leading BMW specialist (dealers charge a fortune)

Tyres are about £200 each, including fitting.

My car is for sale (53 plate, carbon black, all the goodies, mint condition for £18950 if you are interested (PM me) !!!

Edited by petrolhead76 on Saturday 5th January 11:42

[JKay]

petrolhead76 said:

My car is for sale (53 plate, carbon black, all the goodies, mint condition for £18950 if you are interested (PM me) !!!

Edited by petrolhead76 on Saturday 5th January 11:42

How I miss UK car prices. I have just moved out to the Far East, and an '03 M3 Convertible here is around £50k

[spandexx]

petrolhead76 said:

Running in service is at 1200 miles.

Rear bushes tend to go every 60k miles depending on how you drive - £150 tops at a specialist.

Inspection 2 + brake fluid change - I just paid £440 from a leading BMW specialist (dealers charge a fortune)

Tyres are about £200 each, including fitting.

My car is for sale (53 plate, carbon black, all the goodies, mint condition for £18950 if you are interested (PM me) !!!

Edited by petrolhead76 on Saturday 5th January 11:42

Thanks for the help, this is not too far away from my guess.

I am looking to buy in august / sept so i dont think you will want to hang on that long but the car sound fantastic.

thanks again.

mark

[ju6121]

Hi

I will probably be looking to sell my 02 m3 convertible (black with black leather) around August and will have the kind of mileage you mentioned, contact me if your interested.

Cheers

Josh

[blackcab]

I have had the M3 itch for a while and the E46 is an amazing car. I want to see if I can realistically afford it and need your help. After looking at the figures it looks like an M3 will not cost me much more than my company A3!

Dont want to put you off but it will prob cost you a lot more, but is well worth it.
mine does about 1500 miles per month ( £300 approx ) rear tyres at £400 a pair every 4/5 months, be realistic on your mileage it will average about £450 per month in running cost and servicing etc not inc any loan, insurance or depreciation.

[spandexx]

blackcab said:

I have had the M3 itch for a while and the E46 is an amazing car. I want to see if I can realistically afford it and need your help. After looking at the figures it looks like an M3 will not cost me much more than my company A3!

Dont want to put you off but it will prob cost you a lot more, but is well worth it.
mine does about 1500 miles per month ( £300 approx ) rear tyres at £400 a pair every 4/5 months, be realistic on your mileage it will average about £450 per month in running cost and servicing etc not inc any loan, insurance or depreciation.

Relatively the company (diseasel) A3 is costing over £400 per month and I don’t get a car out if it at the end of my 3 year commitment. With my calcs the M3 will be only £1,418.84 more over 3 years - this is based on the extra car allowance, pence per mile for company miles I get for opting out and the presumption I will get £10,000.00 for the M3 after this time (if this is far too high please let me know - the more accurate the better). The running costs have been calculated based on 1000 miles a month (this is my average over 2 years) so I am allowing £210pm fuel and £70pm maintainance (£800pa).

At the moment my thinking is that for £40 a month (10%) for a far, FAR better car I would be mad not to.

Heart is ruling the head a little with this but I do want to try and get my costs as accurate as possible so I can see if this is financially viable.

Edited by spandexx on Tuesday 8th January 13:55

[spandexx]

ju6121 said:

Hi

I will probably be looking to sell my 02 m3 convertible (black with black leather) around August and will have the kind of mileage you mentioned, contact me if your interested.

Cheers

Josh

Hi Josh, car sounds great but I want a coupe - other than that perfect. I will see if my mind changes any nearer that date and if so I will be in contact (she who must be obeyed may well force me down the cab route to make it more girl friendly).